International pop star Moriah Rose Pereira got her start when featured as a mysterious Youtuber on the series 'thatPoppyTV,' directed by music producer Titanic Sinclair that harkens the days of "Don't Hug Me I'm Scared" on Youtube. She became viral due to the strange, absurdist content starring herself as a humanoid AI struggling to understand how to be a real person and pop star by studying society and the music industry.
Since her breakup with Sinclair, Poppy has continued, if not evolved, her enjoyably culty reign of power, singing and performing around themes of double-standards, feminism, and retaliation, all of which is expressed in her creative 'art pop' music videos.
"Concrete" - 4.73 Million Views
Poppy is shown head-on wearing an astronaut-like helmet as she seems to be spinning around violently. Nonetheless, she keeps calm. The quiet part of the song helps the build-up when it breaks into hardcore electric riffs. Poppy performs while the song and lyrics harbor a duality between bubblegum and punk-rock aesthetics, repeating "bury me six feet deep, cover me in concrete," likely writing about her experience between the eras of her musical career. She goes on to sing in various settings while digging a hole.
"Interweb" - 5.2 Million Views
The video features a bold, drastic neon aesthetic. Poppy lip-synch while two figures dance behind her as the colors and lighting change. Visually simple, yet appealing all the same, Poppy's robotic weirdness is always a joy to watch. She describes herself and her relationship with the Internet/technology in conjunction.
"Bleach Blonde Baby" - 5.4 Million Views
Another bizarre music video from the 'ThatPoppy' era kicks off with Poppy describing herself as having seven-foot-long eyelashes and showing it, essentially continuing to describe basic rich pretty people. She shows up with various setpieces, on a bed, in front of mysterious, cult-like symbology in a church, and in a car, and she is often followed by two figures in white.
The video juxtaposes clean white and silvers versus darker night landscapes with neon colors. A group of people who go to her church holds up letters that spell "Everybody Dies."
"I Disagree" - 5.8 Million Views
Staring off quiet, Poppy is shown pouring gasoline on a group of bodies dressed as businesspeople. Next, she sits at a conference table telling them she disagrees with them, literally facing the industry's corporate side and letting them know what she hates about them and how much they dissatisfy her.
She jumps on the table and sings while costumed and faceless people play instruments behind her. Poppy gets her revenge as an artist to be able to express as she desires.
"Time is Up (feat. Diplo)" - 6 Million Views
As monitors are set beside her in bed, Poppy describes being manufactured and what her life like a robot is like, feeling "dizzy from the programming." She expresses her pondering about the philosophy and ethics of her ownership, as she's shown off in front of crowds by a man who resembles Steve Jobs.
She's portrayed as a breakthrough piece of technology, though, clearly, she has her own conscience. The allegory to artists and stars to technology and branding is fascinating.
"My Kind of Woman" - 7 Million Views
A cover of the jizz-jazz artist Mac DeMarco's most notoriously romantic single, Poppy performs karaoke-style. The instrumentals are different, sounding as if they're coming out of a stereo. Poppy's vocals are addictive, and the aesthetic a soft lo-fi feel, making for a comfortable watch as the handheld camera focuses on her as if it was a home movie.
"Moshi Moshi" - 9 Million Views
Multiple Poppys dressed like avant-garde Barbie dolls stand behind tables with different-colored rotary phones on them. The robot Poppys sing on the phones to the city-pop-inspired song that is likely satirizing "kawaii" appropriation in the industry as a means to garner more and younger fans while forcing the aesthetic.
The song is light and friendly, something that could be featured in kids' media. At the end of the video, the Poppys put their phones down and stare in a strange moment of silence.
"X" - 11 Million Views
A concept video that plays with the song's tendency to genre-jump from metal to folky bubblegum pop. There's darker imagery, such as Poppy covered in blood, and then lighter imagery. Poppy exists in a hippie landscape which insinuates that she may also be associated with a cult. Poppy again plays with the duality between her wanting to express softer aesthetics and then transition into hardcore and demonic imagery.
"Computer Boy" - 13 Million Views
Simplistic, robot Poppy sings about how she's fallen in love with "Computer Boy," an expressionless face on a television screen. She's also filmed with a lower-quality camera, perhaps a camcorder. The two figures hold the TV behind her as she sings the playfully generic pop song. At the end of the song, much like in "Moshi Moshi," Poppy freezes, smiling at the screen in silence.
"Lowlife" - 64 Million Views
Poppy performs in front of a white screen amongst dancers, including those in white morph suits, as well as the devil, in different setpieces as businessmen in wheelchairs look on. She sings a pop song with a reggae-influenced beat about treasuring someone close to her, likely a crush.
It's a relatively normal song, though it's clear that the video's agenda is to show how business dominates her expression and appearance. Poppy is later shown being drugged after signing autographs and going into her limo.